A COLLIERY HOLOCAUST

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1732, 10 May 1905, Page 59

A COLLIERY HOLOCAUST

(iiom Our Special Correspondent.)

LONDON, March 24-. One of the worst British coal mine disasters of recent years occurred last Friday night, in the No. 1 pit of the famous Cambrian Collieries Company’s mines, in. Clydach Vale, Rhondda Valley. The explosion occurred at a quarter-past six. Had it taken place fifteen minutes later, the catastrophe must have ranked as the worst mine disaster that has occurred in South Wales. From the pit, which is between four and five hundred feet deep, the day shift, numbering some four hundred men, had ascended at 5 o'clock, and an hour and a half later the night shift men, who mustered neariy as many, were due to commence work. At the time of the explosion, indeed, a large proportion were already at the pit mouth, while below avere some seventy or eighty officials, stablemen, firemen, and general utility hands. The explosion completely wrecked tho up-cast shaft, but the hastily-formed rescue gangs were able to get to the scene of the accident by means of another shaft, leading to workings adjacent to the main seam in No. 1 pit. Breaking through to No. 1, they found fifty men alive, though most were badly burned, and, having sent them to the surface, proceeded to explore further. In an adjacent seam they found thirteen living men, all more or less injured by burns, and several bodies. They had hardly (he living and removed the dead than clown came the timbering of this particular seam, and a few minutes later the coal therein was seen to be cn fire. The rescue party had perforce to abandon their efforts to succour the men believed to- be entombed beyond the blazing debris. Ilose pipes were speedily requisitioned and water brought to bear on the flames, but as the hours rolled by it became evident that the fire avas extending, and after fighting the flames with water for four-ami twenty hours, the desperate- expedient of stopping tho air-supply of the shaft was resolved upon.

This meant certain death to anyone still living beyond the fire zone, but as it was deemed impossible that any human being could have survived entombment after the outbreak of five, th© risk was taken. Meanwhile nine dead bodies had been removed, and tho carcases of nearly DO ponies, all dreadfully burned. In all the human casualties will probably not exceed thirty, indeed up to the present there are only four-and-twenty names on the death roll, but dozens are suite ring from burns that may have" a fatal result, the cause of the explosion i- still a mystery. From the fact that it occurred between the pit bottom and the locking station, where the lamps are examined before being handed to the men. t is generally believed that one of tho men having opened his lamn here to relight it from another, a slight blower ox gas, heavily charged with coal dust, must have been caught by tho other opened lamp, and so nave exploded.

Over 3f,0) men are temporarily thrown, out of employment, for all three pits must remain closed until the fire is subdued.